The woman accused of causing the death of a 2-year-old Phoenix girl she and a man were baby-sitting in December 2012 appeared before a Maricopa County Superior Court commissioner on Monday to plead not guilty.

Allison Clement was charged with second-degree murder and five counts of child abuse after 2-year-old Savannah Cross was admitted to a Phoenix hospital in December 2012 covered in bruises and later died, according to police reports.

Clement, and the man charged in the case with her, Ryan Reed, were originally indicted in the case soon after Cross' death, but the Maricopa County Attorney's Office later dropped the charges due to additional testing needed in the case, spokesman Jerry Cobb said.

Clement appeared in Maricopa County Superior Court on Monday morning wearing a gray inmate jumpsuit with chains around her ankles and calmly stated her name and date of birth for Commissioner Casey Newcomb.

Savannah Cross(Photo: Cathy Cross)

The proceeding took less than one minute and Clement was returned to the custody of sheriff's detention officers until her next court appearance, which was scheduled for Sept. 2.

Reed, who is additionally charged with two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor, was rearrested in November 2013 after autopsy testing revealed the presence of his semen, according to autopsy reports.

The night before Savannah's death, Clement took her own two children and another child she was baby-sitting to Reed's mother's house to use a computer, police documents indicate.

Reed told investigators that Savannah was lying on the floor when Reed stepped on her and inadvertently kicked her, according to court documents.

Ryan Alan Reed(Photo: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)

Reed left Cross in her crib after the incident and said he found her there the next morning, struggling to breathe, according to court documents.

At that point, Reed took Cross into a bathroom where she vomited, but her condition did not improve, according to reports.

Police responded to the 911 call from the home and found the child's crib filled with materials and pillows that inhibited her from fully lying down, while boxes of wood flooring on top of the crib prevented her from getting out, according to court documents.